Megayachts

Salty Explorer

Despite the creative
spelling of the nameboard Voyageur, the Offshore 80 Voyager pictured
here—as well as ones under construction—is built to be a traditional
intrepid yacht.

In fact, this semicustom
yacht is intended for active cruisers seeking a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere
and an equally comfortable ride, particularly in blue water. While many
builders make similar claims, Offshore points to its storied 56-year history
as well as its design and construction techniques to back them up.

Offshore Yachts’
founder, Richard O. Hunt, built his first fiberglass pleasureboat in 1948,
after developing a fiberglass craft while working with the U.S. Navy.
Over the next two decades Hunt launched more than 100 powerboats up to
42 feet LOA, both individually and with his sons. Offshore began working
with naval architect William B. Crealock in 1968, an association that
continues today.

Where the 80 is concerned,
Crealock designed her to be a truly comfortable offshore cruiser. The
ample 21'6" beam contributes to this, as does the deep forefoot that
gradually tapers to a 12-degree transom deadrise. Generous freeboard (10'9"
forward, 7'11" aft) and a wide, raised chine help to keep her dry.
As for construction, Offshore built her with solid fiberglass below the
waterline and end-grain Baltek balsa coring above. Four full-length stringers
and multiple athwartships frames are laminated and bonded for strength
and stiffness. Should an owner-operator or a captain need to do some mechanical
labor, the 80 I was aboard has an air-conditioned lazarette with an L-shape
work area and plentiful cabinets in which to stow tools and related items.

For owners who prefer
hiring crew, there’s a pleasantly large crew cabin with over-under
berths and a private head (with an escape hatch in the shower) to starboard
of the work area. Since the Voyager is a semicustom yacht, however, owners
who prefer running their yachts themselves can request the cabin to be
reserved for kids instead by having Offshore create stair access from
the aft corner of the saloon. In addition, owner-operators can access
the engine room through a watertight door off a small lobby just outside
of the master stateroom.

The rest of the interior
spaces have a casual, intimate atmosphere. While you might expect to find
a country kitchen fully forward on the main deck, the 80 instead has a
U-shape dining area that can be open to or closed off from the galley,
thanks to a sliding partition above an expansive pass-through. (That pass-through
would also work well as a breakfast bar with a few barstools placed on
the dining-area side.) In the twin-berth guest cabin, one of two guest
cabins below decks, there’s three-sided access to the beds instead
of the traditional bed-against-the-bulkhead approach, making linen changes
much easier. In the guest heads, Brazilian cherry covers the soles, and
etched glass adorns the shower doors.

When it’s time
to take those guests cruising, the 80 certainly has enough get up and
go. While 800-hp Caterpillars are standard, the yacht I was aboard was
equipped with twin 1,050-hp MANs, which permit a reported 22-knot top
end (light load), according to Offshore’s sea trials.

That further underscores
Offshore’s intrepid-voyager approach—or should I say intrepid
Voyageur?